Iowa back on UW schedule in ’13

MADISON  After a two-year absence, Iowa will return to the University of Wisconsin football schedule in 2013.

That was the big news for Badger fans on Wednesday as the Big Ten Conference released its football schedules for 2013 and 2014.

Wisconsin will renew its battle for the Heartland Trophy by traveling to Iowa on Nov. 2, 2013, and will host the Hawkeyes in a 2014 conference opener.

Beginning in 2013, each Big Ten team will have two byes during conference play. Four teams will start the Big Ten season the last week of September, while the remaining eight will open the following week.

Wisconsin will open the 2013 Big Ten season at Leaders Division rival Ohio State.

The last time UW opened a Big Ten season vs. Ohio State was 1992, when the Badgers beat the Buckeyes, 20-16, in Madison. The Nov. 30 regular-season finale vs. Penn State is to be the latest game in Camp Randall Stadium history.

The Leaders Division also includes Illinois, Indiana, Penn State and Purdue. The Legends Division has Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern.

Each school will play the other five schools within its division and three teams from the other division, including one cross-division matchup guaranteed on an annual basis. Those matchups include Minnesota-Wisconsin, Iowa-Purdue, Michigan-Ohio State, Michigan State-Indiana, Nebraska-Penn State and Northwestern-Illinois.

The division champions will play for the conference title on first Saturday in December.

The inaugural Big Ten football championship game is set for prime time on Dec. 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The second Big Ten championship game is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2012, at a site to be determined.

Fox Sports will serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011-’16 Big Ten football championship games.